17/06/2026
A brand-new celebration of science fiction, fantasy, horror, folklore, gaming and speculative creativity is coming to Wexford this summer as the inaugural Otherworlds Science-fiction Festival prepares to launch.
Taking place in Wexford Town this June 25th to 28th, Otherworlds aims to bring together writers, artists, filmmakers, gamers, comic creators, cosplayers, readers and fans of the strange and imaginative for a weekend of talks, workshops, panels, screenings, live events and community gatherings. Among the big names attending will be best-selling authors Eoin Colfer and Stuart Neville.
Organisers say they hope the festival will shine a spotlight on Ireland’s growing community of speculative fiction creators while also celebrating the wider worlds of fantasy, sci-fi, horror, mythology and geek culture.
Wally O’ Neill, one of the organisers said:
“Otherworlds is about imagination, creativity and community. We wanted to create something that celebrates the weird, the wonderful and the visionary, from Irish folklore and horror to modern sci-fi, gaming and cosplay culture. Wexford has an incredible creative scene and we want to build something ambitious, exciting and welcoming for everyone, spread across the many unique and quirky venues that Wexford has to offer”
These venues include Eclectic Avenue, the Wexford Arts Centre, the Library, Red Books, Dragonhorde, the Book Centre, the Bullring Market, and many more.
“We’re trying to lay the foundations of an annual festival that will celebrate the long tradition of speculative story-telling in Ireland and todays creativity, as well as highlighting the many quirky and unique venues which Wexford town has to offer to the fandom,” Shane Hurley, another organiser said, “People often forget that not only did Ireland produce some of the finest authors of early gothic horror, but we also heavily influenced the development of high fantasy and sciencefiction. Today we are still producing creative storytellers like Eoin Colfer, Tina Callaghan and Danny Earls.”
The festival will include author talks and panel discussions, writing workshops for sci-fi, fantasy and horror creators, cosplay and costume events, indie comics and zine creators, tabletop gaming and retro gaming, short film showcases, local artists and vendors, Irish folklore and myth discussions, community events and late-night entertainment. There will be demos and talks by many genre favourites including Gamesworkshop, Cubicle Seven, Temple Dark Books and Wexford Warhammer Club.
Eoin Colfer will be interviewed in the Wexford Arts Centre on Friday the 26th and the Wexford Retro Movie Club will be showing a special screening of the Neverending Story the day before in the same venue. The premiere of local horror movie “Bleeding the Cow” by Tree Kitty Productions will also take place in the Arts Centre at 6pm on Friday the 26th.
Otherworlds is currently seeking participation from writers, artists, filmmakers, publishers, podcasters, game creators, performers, vendors, local businesses and groups, and volunteers interested in getting involved. Contact them at [email protected] with queries.
Further announcements, guest reveals and event schedules will be released over the coming weeks through Otherworlds Science-fiction festival Wexford social media channels. Tickets can be booked for the screening of the Neverending Story, the Eoin Colfer talk, and “Bleeding the Cow” screening at www.wexfordartscentre.ie now.
Big shout out to Festival organisers not pictured; Ruby O' Connor, Susana Silva, Dylan Delaney, Jamie Murphy, Paul Maloney, Pippa Kinneen, Siobhan Mahon, John Michael Murphy, Phil Hughes, Alice Kavanagh, and Joe and Steph Byrne.
